Liquid measurer with a tipping cup



Sept. 8, 1970 KARL'HEINZ w Eu 3,527,270

LIQUID MEASURER WITH A TIPPING CUP Filed Dec. 14, 1967 INVENTOR KARL-HEW; M512.

United States Patent Ofice 3,527,270 LIQUID MEASURER WITH A TIPPING CUP Karl-Heinz Weil, Solingen-Hohscheid, Germany, assignor to Grasoli-Werk Gebr. Grab, Solingen, Germany, a

firm

Filed Dec. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 690,458 Claims priority, applictioigermany, Mar. 4, 1967,

Int. Cl. B6 7c 3/00 US. Cl. 141-484 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a liquid measurer with a tipping cup.

Providing liquid measurers with a tipping cup which, after having been filled with a predetermined amount of liquid, loses its balance and empties, and then returns automatically to its original position is known. However, the construction of such liquid measurers is such that they are suitable only for technical purposes.

Furthermore, liquid measurers which are incorporated in the stopper of a bottle are known. However, such liquid measurers are impractical since one is needed for each bottle in use, unless the user takes the trouble of switching stoppers each time he uses another bottle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the object of this invention to provide a liquid measurer with a tipping cup that may be used for measuring liquids, especially liquors. In addition, one liquid measurer may be suflicient to measure many liquors of difierent kinds.

To attain this object the present invention provides a liquid measurer which comprises a mounting dish having a bottom provided with an opening and a tipping cup mounted tiltably in said opening.

The liquid measurer is placed with its mounting dish on the brim of a drinking vessel and liquor is poured into the tipping cup from a bottom, for example. After a certain amount of liquor which exceeds the amount the tipping cup can hold and remain balanced has been poured into the tipping cup, it tips, spilling the charge of liquid through the opening in the bottom of the dish into the drinking vessel.

According to a further feature of the invention the tipping cup may be divided into two symmetrical halves, the wall of one half being provided with an indentation which reduces the volume of said half relative to the volume of the other half. In this manner the tipping cup is balanced when empty but unbalanced when full, such that it tips and empties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a liquid measurer according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross section through the line II-II of FIG. 1 of the liquid measurer mounted on a saucer, and

Patented Sept. 8, 1970 FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the liquid measurer of FIGS. 1 and 2 without the saucer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The liquid measurer shown in the drawing consists of a tipping cup 4 and a mounting dish 1 with a bottom 2 having an opening 3. The tipping cup 4 is adapted to swing on pivots 5 provided at the edge of the opening 3 in the bottom 2 of the mounting dish 1. Assuming the tipping cup 4 to be symmetrically divided into two halves on the axis of the pivots 5, the right-hand half (FIGS. 1-3) has an indentation 6 and therefore a smaller volume than the left-hand half. Consequently, after setting the liquid measurer with its mounting dish 1 on a drinking vessel and filling the tipping cup 4 with a certain quantity of liquid, the tipping cup 4 tips from its balanced position, spilling the liquid through the opening 3- in the bottom 2 of the mounting dish 1 into the drinking vessel. After emptying, the tipping cup 4 swings automatically back to its original position against a stop 7 provided at the edge of the opening 3 in the bottom 2 of the mounting dish 1.

The liquid measurer is expediently equipped with a saucer 8 on which it may be set after being used, and which may catch any drops of liquid falling from the tipping cup 4.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid measurer comprising:

(a) a mounting dish having a bottom with an opening therein;

(b) a stop on the edge of said opening;

(c) a tipping cup;

(d) cooperating means on said tipping cup and said mounting dish for pivotally attaching said cup to said dish for rotation about a horizontal axis with the dish located in the opening;

(e) said attaching means permitting the tipping cup to rotate about said horizontal axis under the influence of the distribution of the weight of the cup and any liquid contents therein;

(f) said cup having a brim, a portion of said brim being adapted to permit liquid contained in the cup to flow thereover when the cup is tipped about said axis in a direction to lower said brim portion below the level of liquid in the cup;

(g) said brim portion being transversely offset in a horizontal direction from said axis of rotation;

(h) the weight distribution of a first part of the cup which, when the cup is empty, is between said brim portion and the horizontal axis of rotation being such with respect to the weight distribution of the opposite second part of the cup on the other side of the axis of rotation that when the cup is empty the cup will, by itself, swing to a position in which the brim is uppermost and the bottom of the cup is lowermost and said second part of the cup abuts against the stop;

(i) the volumetric capacity of the first part of the cup exceeding the volumetric capacity of the second part of the cup so that when the cup is filled with a predetermined quantity of liquid said liquid will develop a cup-tilting torque which will rotate the cup in a direction to lower said portion of the brim below the level of the liquid therein and thereby spill said liquid over said portion of the brim through the opening of the bottom of the dish, the distribution of weight of the first and second parts of the cup when empty thereupon causing the cup to swing back and be restored to the position in which the second part of the cup abuts the stop;

(j) said measurer being devoid of any means except the foregoing for tilting the cup.

2. A liquid measurer as set forth in claim 1, wherein the tipping cup is divided into two substantially symmetrical halves, one being the first part and the other being the second part, the 'wall of the second part being formed with an indentation which reduces the volumetric capacity of said part to a volumetric capacity which is less than the volumetric capacity of the first part.

3. A liquid measurer as set forth in claim 2, wherein the configuration of the tipping cup, except for the indentation, is frusto-conical with the brim constituting the Wide end.

4. A liquid measurer as set forth in claim 1, wherein the attaching means that permits the tipping cup to rotate about a horizontal axis with respect to the dish constitutes a pair of trunnions extending from diametrically opposed portions of the edge of the opening, said trunnions extending toward one another and their tips being in alignment, and a pair of diametrically opposed depressions in the outer surface of the tipping cup, the tips of said trunnions being located in said depressions.

5. A liquid measurer comprising:

(a) a mounting dish having a bottom with an opening therein;

(b) a tipping cup;

(c) cooperating means on said tipping cup and said mounting dish for pivotally attaching said cup to said dish for rotation about a horizontal axis with the dish located in the opening;

(d) said attaching means permitting the tipping cup to rotate about said horizontal axis under the influence of the distribution of the weight of the cup and any liquid contents therein;

(c) said cup having a brim, a portion of said brim being adapted to permit liquid contained in the cup to flow thereover when the cup is tipped about said axis in a direction to lower said brim portion below the level of liquid in the cup;

(f) said brim portion being transversely ofiYset in a horizontal direction from said axis of rotation;

(g) the weight distribution of a first part of the cup which, when the cup is empty, is between said brim portion and the horizontal axis of rotation being such with respect-t0 the weight distribution of the opposite second part of the cup on the other side of the axis of rotation that when the cup is empty the cup will, by itself, swing to a position in which the brim is uppermost and the bottom of the cup is lowermost;

(h) the volumetric" capacity of the first part of the cup exceeding the volumetric capacity of the second part of the cup so that when the cup is filled with a predetermined quantity of liquid said liquid will develop a cup-tilting torque which will rotate the cup in a direction to lower said portion of the brim below the level of the liquid therein and thereby spill said liquid over said portion of the brim through the opening of the bottom of the dish, the distribution of weight of the first and second parts of the cup when emtpy thereupon causing the cup to swing back and be restored to the position in which the brim is uppermost and the bottom of the cup is lowermost;

(i) said measurer being devoid of any means except the foregoing for tilting the cup.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,653,618 9/1953 Frank 222166 X 1,629,184 5/ 1927 Thomas 222-166 FOREIGN PATENTS 216,145 11/1909 Germany.

2,940 2/ 1900 Great Britain. 119,477 3/ 1927 Switzerland.

HOUSTON S. BELL, 111., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

